Clear Creek community holds vigil to remember Christian Glass

Members of the community came together to remember Glass and call for change from law enforcement

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Members of the Clear Creek Community remembered Christian Glass at a candlelight vigil on Sept. 20 at Citizens Park in Idaho Springs.

Glass, 22, was killed by police in June after calling for help when his car got stuck in the town of Silver Plume. Recently released body cam footage of the incident has sparked public cries for police accountability. 

A crowd of nearly 80 community members and friends and family of Glass gathered in the park to remember Glass, light candles in his honor and call for fundamental change. 

“As a mom, I know this could’ve been my son, and that’s why I’m here tonight,” said community member Lisa Stamm. “This behavior by our sheriff’s department is unacceptable.” 

Stamm’s remarks were supported by the emotional crowd. 

Autumn Brooks, one of the organizers of the vigil, remembers her child calling with car trouble in Clear Creek County in the past, but he got sent a tow truck instead of deputies.

"No more pain should be brought by our law enforcement,” she said. 

Idaho Springs has seen firsthand the pain the police can inflict. In 2019, ISPD was involved in an incident using a stun gun on a 24-year-old deaf man. The man, Brady Mistic, who spent 4 months in jail for charges that were ultimately dropped, has since filed a suit against the city. This altercation involved Officer Hanning, who went on to tase an elderly man in 2021. 

The pain brought on by law enforcement in Clear Creek is something that Cynthia Flageolle, who attended the vigil, is still dealing with. Her father, Michael Clark, was the victim of a stun gun deployed by ISPD Officer Hanning in 2021 that left him with lifelong deficits. 

Ultimately, Hanning received house arrest and probation for his involvement in the assault of Clark and gave up his ability to serve in law enforcement. Residents of Clear Creek are looking for more accountability from the police, calling for police to “serve and protect, not hurt and neglect,” as many of their signs said. 

“We’re not going to stop until we make changes,” Flageolle said at the vigil, after sharing her father’s experience with ISPD. 

Christian's mother, Sally Glass, and her two daughters, sisters of Christian Glass, attended the Sept. 20 vigil. Sally shared memories of Christian and thanked the community for coming together. She remembered her son’s kind soul, and that he always wanted to be an artist when he grew up. 

The community shared memories and embraces at the vigil, hoping to come together to enact change through this tragedy.

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